Things to do

There's so much to see and do at Stirling Castle. Here are just a few things we think you'll enjoy when you visit us.

Get a taste of the past

See the kitchen staff hard at work as they prepared meals for royalty.

Find out about the food of the past and the fancy dishes that were set before the King and Queen.

Fun in the Palace Vaults

The palace vaults are a great place to learn about the people who helped build the palace and others who worked for the King and Queen.

There are five vaults you can visit (Painter, Carver, Tailor, Musician and Jester) each with different games and activities.

Stirling Skeletons

Discover the secrets of the Stirling Skeletons.

Visit the Castle exhibition in the Queen Anne Gardens and see how our scientists were able to turn a skeleton in to a lifelike model!

History Hunters Tours

Join our special children’s tour with your family and learn fun facts.

Tours run every Sat and Sun at 2.15pm. Included in entry and start from the Queen Anne Garden.

Meet the Characters

Travel back in time to the Royal Stewart Court. Meet the King and Queen’s servants who will tell you about their jobs and life at the castle.

Ask them to tell you about the oldest football in the world, and if you're feeling brave, you can also enter the Lion’s Den where the King’s pet lion keeps guard!

Queen Anne Garden

Visit our lovely big garden and see the beautiful views, the twin beech tree and new flowers.

Have fun pretending to be a knight or princess or just practice your cartwheels. Mums and dads can enjoy a rest and watch you play safely!

Castle Secrets

It is widely rumoured that James V would swap his riches for rags and sneak out of the castle to the old town of Stirling where he would mingle with his subjects posing as the guid man of Ballengeigh.

Castle Secrets

Secret binary code was discovered on one of the Stirling Heads that turned out to be musical notes to a long lost requiem from the 16th Century. Visitors can hear the music in the royal palace today.

Castle Secrets

The phrase “pushing the boat out” is thought to have been coined in relation to the extravagant celebrations held at the castle for Prince Henry’s baptism in 1594 when a full-size boat featuring live mermaids and shooting cannons was used to serve the fish course.

Castle Secrets

Nine skeletons dating from 1200-1400s were unearthed in a long-lost royal chapel in 2008. It is thought they must have been people of stature to have been buried within the castle. Visitors can come face to face with 2 of the skeletons in the castle exhibition.

Castle Secrets

Research carried out in 2011 revealed that King Arthur’s round table may well have been hidden beneath the historic King’s Knot that sits below the castle. Writers including John Barbour and Sir David Lindsay have linked the landmark to the legend of King Arthur for more than six centuries.